Mills Named to Wooden Award Preseason Watch List
12/1/2020 4:37:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HOUSTON – University of Houston sophomore guard Caleb Mills was named to the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 Watch List. The list was chosen by a poll of national college basketball experts.
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2021 John R. Wooden Award Player of the Year presented by Wendy's.
Players not chosen to the preseason list are still eligible for the Wooden Award™ midseason list, late season list, and the National Ballot. The National Ballot consists of 15 top players who have proven to their universities that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the Wooden Award.
Nearly 1,000 voters will rank in order 10 of those 15 players when voting opens prior to the NCAA Tournament and will allow voters to take into consideration performance during early round games.
The Wooden Award All American Team™ will be announced the week of the "Elite Eight" round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the 2021 John R. Wooden Award will be presented by Wendy's following the NCAA Tournament in April.
ABOUT CALEB MILLS
This was the latest preseason honor for Mills. In November, he was named to the Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Preseason Watch List and the Jerry West Award Watch List, presented annually to the nation's top shooting guard.
In October, he was picked as the American Athletic Conference's Preseason Player of the Year and was a unanimous First-Team selection in voting by the league's head coaches.
Mills began his first season of competition with the Cougars as a redshirt freshman in 2019-20 and made an immediate impact. The Arden, N.C., native enjoyed eight 20-point games, including a career-high 27 points at Memphis in late February.
Mills led the Cougars with 13.2 points per game in 2019-20, joining Houston great Rob Williams as the only freshmen in school history to lead their teams in scoring. Williams averaged 16.3 points per contest as a freshman in 1979-80.
He finished second among the Cougars with 50 3-pointers in his first collegiate season on the way to being named to the 2020 All-American Athletic Conference Second Team. Mills also earned a place on the league's All-Freshman Team, joining current teammate guard Marcus Sasser.
JOHN R. WOODEN AWARD PRESEASON TOP 50 WATCH LIST
UP NEXT
• The Cougars return to the friendly confines of the Fertitta Center to play host to South Carolina at 5 p.m., Saturday. Fans should note the tipoff time change, which was made to better accommodate the Houston Football game, kicking off at 8 p.m., Saturday, vs. SMU in Dallas.
• The Men's Basketball game can be seen on ESPN+ and can be heard on 950 AM KPRC.
• That will be the start of a four-game homestand for the Cougars, who go on to play host to Sam Houston State (Dec. 9), Rice (Dec. 12) and American Athletic Conference-rival UCF (Dec. 16).
• The Cougars don't hit the road again until they take on Alabama on Dec. 19 in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
JOIN the 50-50-CLUB
Fans are invited to join the 50-50 Club to support Houston Men's Basketball. 50-50 Club members help fund program necessities and enhance the experience for our student-athletes.
Fans who join the 50-50 Club will receive embroidered Jordan Brand team apparel, invitations to exclusive events, regular updates about the program and much more.
For more information or to sign up, fans may visit uhcougars.com/5050club or click here. To join the 50-50 Club, fans may call Cougar Pride at 713-743-GoUH (46874).
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarMBK on Twitter and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at UHCougarMBK or by visiting the team's Instagram page at UHCougarMBK.
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2021 John R. Wooden Award Player of the Year presented by Wendy's.
Players not chosen to the preseason list are still eligible for the Wooden Award™ midseason list, late season list, and the National Ballot. The National Ballot consists of 15 top players who have proven to their universities that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the Wooden Award.
Nearly 1,000 voters will rank in order 10 of those 15 players when voting opens prior to the NCAA Tournament and will allow voters to take into consideration performance during early round games.
The Wooden Award All American Team™ will be announced the week of the "Elite Eight" round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the 2021 John R. Wooden Award will be presented by Wendy's following the NCAA Tournament in April.
ABOUT CALEB MILLS
This was the latest preseason honor for Mills. In November, he was named to the Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Preseason Watch List and the Jerry West Award Watch List, presented annually to the nation's top shooting guard.
In October, he was picked as the American Athletic Conference's Preseason Player of the Year and was a unanimous First-Team selection in voting by the league's head coaches.
Mills began his first season of competition with the Cougars as a redshirt freshman in 2019-20 and made an immediate impact. The Arden, N.C., native enjoyed eight 20-point games, including a career-high 27 points at Memphis in late February.
Mills led the Cougars with 13.2 points per game in 2019-20, joining Houston great Rob Williams as the only freshmen in school history to lead their teams in scoring. Williams averaged 16.3 points per contest as a freshman in 1979-80.
He finished second among the Cougars with 50 3-pointers in his first collegiate season on the way to being named to the 2020 All-American Athletic Conference Second Team. Mills also earned a place on the league's All-Freshman Team, joining current teammate guard Marcus Sasser.
JOHN R. WOODEN AWARD PRESEASON TOP 50 WATCH LIST
| Name | School | Conference | Ht. | Cl. | Pos. |
| Scottie Barnes | Florida State | ACC | 6-9 | Fr. | G |
| Charles Bassey | WKU | Conference USA | 6-11 | Jr. | C |
| Brandon Boston Jr. | Kentucky | SEC | 6-7 | Fr. | G |
| James Bouknight | UConn | Big East | 6-5 | So. | G |
| Garrison Brooks | North Carolina | ACC | 6-10 | Sr. | F |
| Greg Brown | Texas | Big 12 | 6-9 | Fr. | F |
| Jared Butler | Baylor | Big 12 | 6-3 | Jr. | G |
| Marcus Carr | Minnesota | Big Ten | 6-2 | Jr. | G |
| Kihei Clark | Virginia | ACC | 5-9 | Jr. | G |
| Kofi Cockburn | Illinois | Big Ten | 7-0 | So. | C |
| Jalen Crutcher | Dayton | Atlantic 10 | 6-1 | Sr. | G |
| Cade Cunningham | Oklahoma State | Big 12 | 6-8 | Fr. | G |
| Oscar da Silva | Stanford | Pac-12 | 6-9 | Sr. | F |
| Ayo Dosunmu | Illinois | Big Ten | 6-5 | Jr. | G |
| John Fulkerson | Tennessee | SEC | 6-9 | Sr. | F |
| Marcus Garrett | Kansas | Big 12 | 6-5 | Sr. | G |
| Luka Garza | Iowa | Big Ten | 6-11 | Sr. | C |
| Collin Gillespie | Villanova | Big East | 6-3 | Sr. | G |
| Kellan Grady | Davidson | Atlantic 10 | 6-5 | Sr. | G |
| Ron Harper Jr. | Rutgers | Big Ten | 6-6 | Jr. | G/F |
| Sam Hauser | Virginia | ACC | 6-8 | Sr. | F |
| Joey Hauser | Michigan State | Big Ten | 6-9 | Jr. | F |
| Matthew Hurt | Duke | ACC | 6-9 | So. | F |
| Trayce Jackson-Davis | Indiana | Big Ten | 6-9 | So. | F |
| David Johnson | Louisville | ACC | 6-5 | So. | G |
| Jalen Johnson | Duke | ACC | 6-9 | Fr. | F |
| Kevontae Johnson | Florida | SEC | 6-5 | Jr. | F |
| Corey Kispert | Gonzaga | West Coast | 6-7 | Sr. | F |
| Isaiah Livers | Michigan | Big Ten | 6-7 | Sr. | F |
| Remy Martin | Arizona State | Pac-12 | 6-0 | Sr. | G |
| Caleb Mills | Houston | American Athletic | 6-3 | So. | G |
| Evan Mobley | USC | Pac-12 | 7-0 | Fr. | F |
| Landers Nolley II | Memphis | American Athletic | 6-7 | So. | G |
| Yves Pons | Tennessee | SEC | 6-6 | Sr. | G/F |
| Neemias Queta | Utah State | Mountain West | 7-0 | Jr. | C |
| Nate Reuvers | Wisconsin | Big Ten | 6-11 | Sr. | F |
| Jeremiah Robinson-Earl | Villanova | Big East | 6-9 | So. | F |
| Colbey Ross | Pepperdine | West Coast | 6-1 | Sr. | G |
| Fatts Russell | Rhode Island | Atlantic 10 | 5-10 | Sr. | G |
| Olivier Sarr | Kentucky | SEC | 7-0 | Sr. | F |
| Javonte Smart | LSU | SEC | 6-4 | Jr. | G |
| Chris Smith | UCLA | Pac-12 | 6-9 | Sr. | G |
| MaCio Teague | Baylor | Big 12 | 6-4 | Sr. | G |
| Drew Timme | Gonzaga | West Coast | 6-10 | So. | F |
| Oscar Tshiebwe | West Virginia | Big 12 | 6-9 | So. | F |
| Trendon Watford | LSU | SEC | 6-9 | So. | F |
| Joe Wieskamp | Iowa | Big Ten | 6-6 | Jr. | G/F |
| Ziaire Williams | Stanford | Pac-12 | 6-8 | Fr. | F |
| McKinley Wright IV | Colorado | Pac-12 | 6-0 | Sr. | G |
| Marcus Zegarowski | Creighton | Big East | 6-2 | Jr. | G |
UP NEXT
• The Cougars return to the friendly confines of the Fertitta Center to play host to South Carolina at 5 p.m., Saturday. Fans should note the tipoff time change, which was made to better accommodate the Houston Football game, kicking off at 8 p.m., Saturday, vs. SMU in Dallas.
• The Men's Basketball game can be seen on ESPN+ and can be heard on 950 AM KPRC.
• That will be the start of a four-game homestand for the Cougars, who go on to play host to Sam Houston State (Dec. 9), Rice (Dec. 12) and American Athletic Conference-rival UCF (Dec. 16).
• The Cougars don't hit the road again until they take on Alabama on Dec. 19 in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
JOIN the 50-50-CLUB
Fans are invited to join the 50-50 Club to support Houston Men's Basketball. 50-50 Club members help fund program necessities and enhance the experience for our student-athletes.
Fans who join the 50-50 Club will receive embroidered Jordan Brand team apparel, invitations to exclusive events, regular updates about the program and much more.
For more information or to sign up, fans may visit uhcougars.com/5050club or click here. To join the 50-50 Club, fans may call Cougar Pride at 713-743-GoUH (46874).
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarMBK on Twitter and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at UHCougarMBK or by visiting the team's Instagram page at UHCougarMBK.
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